2 and a half weeks
by Jenwwe
Summary: A simple wrestling tale. What happens when someone is coerced into working for WWE. OC/Regal mentions of Cena and McMahon
1. Chapter 1

"I called Linda a few days ago," Sandra said through the bathroom door. Alex sighed as she checked herself in the mirror. Loathing her hair, it was always stringy, something had to be done about it. Sure, it was blonde, but not that pretty blonde that was lusted after by everyone, her's was darker, not brown, not even champagne, just... blah.

"Mom, I told you already--" Alex said and rolled her eyes. No way in hell she was going to go work with her aunt Linda. It was all so embarrasing, wrestling. Grown men and women rolling around in a square, other grown people cheering them on. It wasn't even a real 'sport'.

"Yes, you told me, but no one is hiring, you know what the economy is right now, and you're not getting any younger, " her mother said through the door.

"MOM!" Alex blurted. "I'm not old, yet!" She came out of the downstairs bathroom and brushed passed her mother.

"You'll have to suck it up and accept nepotism for a while," Sandra continued, ignoring Alex's outburst and following her to the kitchen. "At least until things get better."

"That's going to be a while," Alex said. "It's never been good while I've been alive." The generation before had taken all the jobs and were holding on for dear life, and by the time she could ever think of retiring, social security would be tapped dry.

"Optimism, dear," Sandra said softly and smiled.

"But what about you?" Alex asked and sighed as she got a glass from the overhead cabinet. "How will you get along without me?"

"I'll be fine, I'm not a recluse you know, I do have friends," she said. "And your father."

"Sure, when he decides to come home," Alex said. "I'd be one less mouth to feed for a while." Sandra nodded.

"You'll be fine, but I know how you hate traveling," her mother said. Alex got ice from the icemaker.

"It just sucks the life out of me," she said and wrinkled her nose.

"I'm sure you'll have fun with your cousins," Sandra said.

"They've grown up, mom," she said and punched the glass into the water despenser. "They aren't ten anymore."

"You're right," Sandra said. "But you'll have a nice time reminiscing."

"I'm sure," Alex said. "And what did Aunt Linda say I would be doing with the company?"

"She's going to convince Vince to make you a diva," Sandra said and smirked.

"MOTHER!!" Alex said in her most withering voice. "That's not even funny! I'm not amused." She glared at her mother, her lips wobbled into a smile, she shook her head.

Sandra laughed and smoothed her hands over the dishtowel on the counter. "She said you can do some computer work. If you're up to it, maybe some road crew."

"Funny," Alex said. "I can manage computer shit, but crew? Do I look like I can haul equipment?"

"Let Linda be the judge when you get there," Sandra said. "You never know, she might give you something interesting."

"I'm sure," Alex said and went outside to get away from her mother for a while. She leaned on the railing of the backporch and had a good long hard think about things. She drank her water and lit up a cigarette from the pack she always kept in the rafters. Maybe working for WWE would be a good idea, for a while. A couple of months, maybe. Could do her good seeing other places. She ran her hand through her hair, she really needed to get it cut.

It got dark before Alex could talk herself into it completely, into anything, WWE or the haircut. She sighed, blew out her last breath of smoke, put the cig out and came in to help cook dinner.

"So, when does she want me to start?" Alex asked.

"I'll call her," Sandra said and went to the phone on the wall and called Linda right up. Alex sighed and got some chicken out for dinner. Her mother would be embroiled for a while.

"Lin, it's me," Sandra said into the phone. Of course Linda would know that if she checked the incoming on her phone. Mother was 'Queen State the Obvious'.

Alex started to prep the chicken. Just as soon as she was elbow deep in raw chicken, her mother held the phone for her to speak to her aunt. Alex held her slimy hands up. Sandra slid the phone between Alex's ear and shoulder, she rolled her eyes.

"Hello Auntie Linda," Alex said in her most sweet, sugary dripping voice she could muster under the horrible circumstances: economy, bad hair, phone, nepotism, chicken; in that order.

"Hello Alex, dear," Linda replied. She sounded happy at least, and didn't sound as if she were being used for money as Sandra was obviously doing.

"How are you?" Alex asked. She just couldn't blurt the obvious and ask when she would start working.

"I'm just fine," Linda said. "I trust Sandy has mentioned to you about working for us?"

"Yes, we talked about that," Alex said. "I'm up for it, if you are." She didn't want to give her aunt the impression that she expected this to happen, giving Linda an 'out' of sorts if she didn't feel it was good.

"We'd love it if you could join us in New York on Sunday," Linda said.

"We?" Alex asked and smirked.

"Oh, yes, the whole roster," Linda said. "Ok, maybe not all, but Vince and I will look forward to seeing you."

"Same here," Alex lied, but her voice was still sweet.

Their call ended, Linda giving Alex the information and what she would need for the next couple of months.

Alex finished preparing the chicken and put it in the oven to cook, put some potatoes on to boil, then went upstairs to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.

"I'm going to do it," she said and twisted a piece of her shoulder length hair in her fingers. She reached and got the scissors out of the vanity drawer and took a deep breath as she made the first cut.


	2. Chapter 2

Saturday had brought lots of packing for Alex. She packed everything and a few more items. She didn't know how she could live out of a suitcase for an extended period of time. She didn't even know what she'd be doing.

Alex lugged her suitcases to the car, it was mid-afternoon, and they needed to get on the road if they were to meet Aunt Linda and Uncle Vince at the business expo in the city. She sighed and went back in the house to gather them.

She'd gotten directions from the internet for the expo they'd be at, she drove through the horrible New York traffic. Stop and go, stop and go, honk, swear. Her mother was on edge in the backseat. Her father had volunteered to drive home, which was good because Alex wasn't going back with them, not unless she changed her mind. That had occured to her already today.

She was getting nervous now. Butterflies, nausea. She sipped her gingerale and breathed deeply.

"We're almost there," she told her mother. "You should call her, let her know."

Her mother nodded and called, she had to yell. Wherever it was that Linda took the call was noisy. Alex bit her lip and looked at her mother in the rearview. She turned the corner and then found the parking garage for the expo center and adjoining hotel.

"She'll meet us in the hotel lobby," Sandra said. Alex drove around and found a parking spot close to the hotel entrance on the ground floor. They got out, her father helped with a suitcase and her mother got her carry-on. Alex shouldered her purse and lugged the big wheeled suitcase and locked up the car. She gave her dad the keys.

She walked ahead and held the door for them. The hotel was quiet compared to the roar of traffic swirling around in the parking garage. It was cooler too. Alex sighed. They walked straight into the lobby, Linda and Vince were standing there. Grins on their faces.

Alex stood back while they hugged. Brother and sister, in-laws, then they switched. Alex shifted her weight and sighed watching the exchange, she knew she'd never have a reunion like that.

Vince came up to her then, and grabbed her by the shoulders and took stock of her. "You look great!" he exclaimed, noting her weight loss. Alex blushed. His eyes went to her hair, he put his big meaty paw on her head and rubbed making it stand up on end like a dandelion, he chuckled.

Alex smiled a little and giggled. It had been at least a year since she'd seen her uncle in person and he was really making a fuss over her.

"I can't believe she's not married yet," he said and took her left hand looking for a ring. Alex snatched her hand back. Uncle Vince was always a weird overly friendly uncle.

Linda elbowed Vince and took over, giving Alex a welcoming hug. "Your hair, it's different."

Alex nodded and blushed a little. They hadn't seen her in a year and she'd had long hair then, but they shouldn't make a fuss about it now.

"Our flight leaves in four hours," Vince said. "Let's put the luggage in the room and we can go back to the expo and wrap it up there." Everyone agreed that was a good idea. Vince didn't bother with the suitcases himself, he hit the bell on the front desk and had a porter do it. Alex's dad slipped the porter a tip. Alex rolled her eyes, her dad shrugged.

They went up a half flight of marble stairs and crossed the pedestrian bridge to the expo center. Linda and Vince had VIP passes so they could all get in free to the invite only event. They went to their booth in the middle of one of the many rows. Vince had made a presentation on Saturday, and today was the final day. Some of the wrestlers were at the booth along a few people in suits.

Alex didn't recognize any of them, nor did she know if she should. It had been a few years since she'd watched. And even more than that since they'd gotten invited to any of the things they put on at their house in Stamford.

They were introduced all around, but Alex didn't remember any of their names, she was too busy trying not to puke and make a scene in the middle of the expo. She drank from her gingerale bottle. Her parents chatted with Vince and Linda for a long time. Alex just hung back and tried to not be there as best she could, feeling very much out of place.

Nicole decided she was tired of seeing Alex sink back into oblivion. The pretty brunette came out from behind the table. "So, what do you do?" she asked Alex.

"A little of this, a little of that," Alex said. Nicole nodded.

"They're your..."

"Aunt and Uncle," Alex said. "Dad is Linda's brother." Nicole nodded, understanding why Alex didn't look anything like a McMahon, she wasn't.

"So what are you doing in New York, if you don't mind me asking," Nicole asked.

"Linda's decided to give me a job," Alex said and smiled and shrugged. She bit her lip, a little uncomfortable. "But I don't know what I'll be doing." Nicole nodded.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy working with everyone," Nicole said. "For all their rough exteriors, they're just a bunch of pussycats." Alex giggled.

It was time for everyone to start packing things up. The wrestlers didn't offer to help, leaving the suits to do it. Nicole looked around and sighed.

"Do you want help?" Alex asked. Nicole looked like she was going to have a stroke trying to lift the big printer off the table.

"Yeah," Nicole said. Together they managed to get it off the table and onto the wheeled cart. Boxes of brochures were put on the printer. And they all worked on getting those large folding tables closed. Nicole was a little impressed when Alex flipped one onto its side and collapsed the legs on her own.

The whole expo was noisy with the end of things. Everyone taking down their displays and packing up their wares and brochures.

Alex's parents were leaving, so she paused in helping pack up and hugged them and told them what highway to take to get home. Be safe driving and call often.


End file.
